Martha's Cure
by dreamerinfic
Summary: Martha has a mission...in Cardiff. She's found something she simply must tell Jack about. And even though the Doctor disapproves, she's going anyway.


Martha tapped lightly upon the door.

"Come in," the Doctor responded.

"Are you ready, Doctor?"

"Just about. Martha, are you sure about this?"

Martha's eyes traveled around the room before landing on the man seated on the bed. He was bent over tying his shoes, such a normal gesture. So misleading…this was no normal man. The time she had spent with the Doctor had proved that to her, if nothing else. There was nothing normal about him, or about life with him. She scanned the room once more. His room…in the Tardis. Strange, this was only the second time she had been in here. The last time was after they had gotten stuck on that spaceship that was hurtling towards the sun. The Doctor had been pretty messed up for a while after that. Oh, he put on a brave front, but being possessed just isn't good for one's psyche, and she didn't need a medical degree to figure that out.

The walls of his room were covered in diagrams and scribblings. With pictures placed haphazardly here and there, as if they were struggling to find a place amidst the chaos. Alien artifacts, as well as antiques from her own world were interspersed with personal items such as his overcoat, assorted converse trainers and ties of every color. On the nightstand by his bed was a strange looking alarm clock, flanked by two pictures. One showed a brunette woman in her mid 50's and the other showed a young blond girl with large eyes. Rose…this was Rose.

"Martha," the Doctor prompted, interrupting her thoughts. She turned to look at him again. He was standing in front of her now, his overcoat flung over his arm while he straightened his tie. "You're sure about this?" he asked her again.

She nodded. "This is just something I feel I have to do. Please don't try and stop me."

"Oh, wouldn't dream of it. But I would like to go on record as saying that I don't think that this is a good idea at all."

He brushed past her and made his way down the Tardis corridor towards the control room.

Martha followed close behind.

"But Doctor, don't you think that Jack deserves to know?"

"Jack's a big boy, Martha; he's more than capable of taking care of himself."

"But this is different. This is important information that he needs to have. This is life or death for him." Martha argued for the umpteenth time since they'd made the discovery on the Lani homeworld.

"Martha, Jack's fine with his lot in life, best not to mess with things."

Martha raised an eyebrow and fixed the Doctor with a knowing stare. "You just don't want to see him. You and he don't get on, I know, but that's no reason to punish him like this."

"I'm not punishing him."

"By not telling him that we've found a cure…I think that's horrible."

"I agreed to let you go to Cardiff and find him, didn't I?" He shook his head at her. "I'm just saying that I don't think this is a good idea. That's all." His wide brown eyes looked at her seriously.

"Well, let's get going then. I'm ready."

"Right…Cardiff." The Doctor turned towards the controls of his faithful ship. "What year was that?" He stalled.

"2007, Doctor." Martha answered succinctly.

"Ah, Right. Cardiff, 2007. Captain Jack Harkness…Torchwood." The Doctor recited as he flipped switches and turned knobs on the console.

Martha held on as the Tardis entered the time vortex. Tucked safe in a pouch inside her coat was the one thing that could end Captain Jack Harkness' eternal life. The small vial of liquid had already traveled through two galaxies and billions of miles and now it was almost there. What would Jack think? Would he believe her? Would he do it…could he do it? Would it work if he did?

The questions spun through her head almost as fast as the Tardis spun through the time vortex. Was she really doing the right thing? The Doctor was being realistic, she knew. He didn't believe that there was a cure anywhere in the whole of time and space for Jack's situation…she believed otherwise. Everywhere she and the Doctor landed she had searched for something that might end Jack's unnatural ailment. She had little luck until they landed on the Lani home world a few days ago.

The Lani were a race of super-intelligent, immortal beings. They couldn't be killed and couldn't die natural deaths. They lived forever, save one option. There was a drug that had been developed by their government capable of ending the lives of any Lani who was convicted in a court of law and sentenced to death. Martha reasoned that if it could kill an immortal Lani, it might just be able to kill the also immortal Captain Jack Harkness.

Of course she couldn't be sure it would work, not unless he tried it. But he deserved to know. And here she was, on her way to Cardiff to tell him…against the Doctor's wishes. But at least he had agreed to transport her.

"We've landed." The Doctor announced.

Martha straightened and pulled her thoughts together. She turned to look at the Tardis door. This was it…Cardiff.

"Well then, guess I'll be off."

The Doctor approached her and pulled her into a hug.

"You be careful, Martha. Go and find Jack, and tell him…tell him that I…couldn't. He'll understand."

"Of course, yeah, I will."

"And Martha…"

She raised her eyes to his once more.

"I won't leave you here. You don't belong with Torchwood. You belong here. So come back soon…alright."

"Alright, Doctor. I'll be back." Martha smiled up at him, "don't leave without me."

Then she turned and walked out the Tardis doors into a rainy Cardiff afternoon.


End file.
